Tasty Tidbits

It's been awhile since I showed my garden! It's growing like crazy. We've picked 2 heads of broccoli so far, and there are many more on the way.

Here's an overview of the chaos. I love looking out the window in the kitchen & seeing so much green.

The kiwi has tons of fruit hanging off it, just starting to ripen. This will be our first year to harvest any, as long as the birds don't get to them before we do!

The zucchini is coming along well. Soon we'll have a few large enough to pick. I tried a new location for it this year in hopes that it doesn't get eaten as much. We love zucchini, so I've been disappointed in the crop the last few years. I'm not one of those people who gets overwhelmed by the surplus. This is one veggie we don't get tired of.

A few of the tomato plants already have fruit. These are the prettiest, with their stripes. We don't buy tomatoes in the store, so we're ready when tomato season comes to eat away. I think we planted more than usual this year, plus we have tomatillas as well.

Happy 4th of July everyone! Hopefully you had a fun day, didn't get rained on, & were able to relax & celebrate with family & friends. I was off, but Walter wasn't. :-(  We went to his grandparents' house (they had a picnic) during his lunch break to say hi, which was very nice. Then after he was done work, we had a campfire cookout of our own.

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Peach yogurt with Mango Granola & black raspberries
• Overnight oatmeal with chia seeds, blueberry pancake peanut butter, & black raspberries
• Brittany's Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough Ice Cream - So this totally counts as breakfast! I mean, I put banana on my oatmeal, so it's the same ingredients. Blending it all together changes it up & it felt so fun to eat "ice cream" for breakfast. 
• Ashley's Doughnut Waffles - I made these for a special 4th of July breakfast, but regular waffle size (and we didn't dip them in honey like she does). We topped them with black raspberries & they were so good! They didn't need anything else. Some of us are a little more ocd about having 1 raspberry per bite than others, as seen above. :-)
• Bananas

Lunches

• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Cabbage slaw
• Green salad
• Lima & white bean hummus with almond crackers, carrots, cucumbers, & whole wheat flax pita crackers
• Watermelon, cherries & strawberries

Dinners

Saturday:

• Grilled teriyaki tofu & zucchini kebobs (we ended up grilling them in our grill pan - as seen above - because they weren't cooking evenly)
• Grilled asparagus
• Green salad

Sunday:

• Take A Megabite's Zucchini Quesadillas - I altered this recipe, using cashew cheese, roasted garlic, & shredded sharp monteray jack instead of the goat cheese. These were fantastic on the Trader Joe's brown rice tortillas. I'll be making this again!

Monday:

• Ashley's Rosemary & Garlic Roasted Broccoli & Sweet Potatoes - These are my 2 favorite foods to roast, so when I saw this, I knew I had to make it. It was surprisingly filling! We dipped ours in almond butter dressing (me) & Makers Mark Gourmet Sauce (Bup). Both were delicious additions.
• Green salad

Tuesday:
Dinner at Mom & Pops'

• Grilled veggie & white bean burritos - So good! We had sauteed mushrooms & onions to put on them as well.
• Green salad

Wednesday:

• Angela's Rad Rainbow Raw Pad Thai - What a perfect summer dish! It was fresh & crisp, leaving us full but not feeling heavy. I can't wait to make it again!

Thursday:
Fourth of July campfire cookout

• Tofu dogs on potato rolls
• Vegetable foil packets - zucchini, mushrooms, onions & garlic

Friday:

• Brian & Rachel's wedding! Congrats!!!

Treats

• Blueberry Muffin Ice Cream
• Banana soft serve with raw cookie dough bites
• Cookies - We spent Tuesday evening baking cookies with my parents for my cousin's wedding. All in all, we made 4 flavors of pizzelles, coconut biscotti, choc pb biscotti, ginger snaps, apricot stars, & cookie peaches

Tasty Tidbits

Our garden is really shooting up due to all the rain we've been having! Here, you can see (starting in the bottom left & going clockwise) baby broccoli plants, sugar snap peas, mustard greens, out-of-control kiwi vine, spinach, mixed greens, potatoes, strawberries & kale.  

I was hoping to get these babies planted out this weekend, but I think they're still a little too small. I have 2 other trays of 6, with tomatillos, jalapenos, eggplant, & purple basil. We moved them outside, but are still covering them at night since it's been getting so cold. My bell pepper seeds never sprouted, so I may have to buy a small plant instead.

We took a long walk one evening to de-stress & celebrate the warm (finally) spring weather. Somehow, we found ourselves at Rainbow Snow...oh darn! :-) I got a cone with chocolate peanut butter & moose tracks. I'd tell you that it was way too much for me to finish, but that'd be a total lie. It was the perfect spring treat!

Apparently Tink has decided that our house is too cold (despite it now being the warmest it's been in 6 months), because we've found her tucked under blankets many times this past week. I was doing yoga when she tucked herself in here, so I had to take a picture. She was so cute, burrowing in head first & then squirming around to poke her head out.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Cherry almond smoothies
• Peach yogurt with Chocolate & Toast's Just Plain Good Granola
• Angela's Tropical Pineapple Boozy Baked Oatmeal - We loved this! The pineapple gets caramelized in the oven & it pairs so well with the creamy baked oats.
• Whole wheat sourdough pancakes topped with almond butter - Soooo good! I froze a batch so we could have them anytime.
• Bananas & crunchy pb

Lunches

• Leftovers
• Sandwiches
• Quinoa with roasted broccoli
• Watermelon, apples & clementines 

Dinners

Saturday:

• Homemade sourdough tortillas
• Black & pinto bean mixture
• Sauteed leeks & mushrooms
• Salsa & cheddar cheese toppings
• Green salad

Sunday: 
Dinner at Mom & Pops'

• Linguini with marinara sauce
• Green salad
• Whole wheat bread
• Plum tart

Monday:

• Tofu nuggets
• Roasted sweet potato fries
• Green salad

Tuesday:

• Mega salad: romaine, spinach, & mustard greens topped with onions, mushrooms, carrots, leftover roasted sweet potato fries, avocado, & dried cranberries, tossed in our Italian vinaigrette dressing

Wednesday:
Dinner with friends

• Personal pizzas - whole wheat crust with pesto, tomato sauce, onions, mushrooms, spinach, & parmesan/asiago/mozzarella mix

Thursday:

• Mama Pea's Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai - Always a great dish! I love how many veggies go into this. I added 1.5 cups of chickpeas this time & they turned out to be a good addition.

Friday:
Celebrating with a campfire!

• Mountain pie sandwiches
• Vegetable Foil Packets in the fire
• Green salad

Treats

• OhLadyCakes' Raw Cacao Ice Cream - So chocolatey, so good! Cholesterol free, plant based goodness.
• Heidi's Rhubarb Crumble Bars
• Rainbow Snow - ice cream (me - see above pic), milkshake (Bup)

Sprouts in the Garden

It's garden time again! I planted several types of seeds about 3 weeks ago & they're starting to sprout.

I'm super excited about all the blossoms on our nectarine tree (see above). They're pretty & they mean we'll have plenty of fruit. Last year, a lot of our nectarines were eaten by squirrels, so we're going to be proactive this year. Not sure how yet, though!

I planted about 4 rows each of yellow & red onions. They're showing their green & looking great. Only a handful haven't sprouted yet.

The rhubarb has taken off in the last week. The bulbs were slowing bursting with green & then BAM, full growth! (Ignore my finger in the pic...oops!)

This is the first potato that sprouted through the ground. I was so proud of myself for digging down to plant them deep, until the Bup reminded me that he & his brother had just added that compost, so it was nice & loose. :-) He usually does the digging, so he was still happy to have me do this part.

The snap peas are my favorite to watch grow. They start as little green stems popping out of the ground, & then they unfurl into mini-vines. They're really taking off, so soon we'll need to put in a fence for them to climb.

I tried planting mustard greens this year for the first time. They are doing well & soon I'll need to thin them out. I also planted spinach, mesclun greens, kale, swiss chard, & butter lettuce. Lots of little baby leaves are popping up.

Last up - broccoli! I tried starting some by seed inside last year, but it was too late, so when I planted them outside they died from the frost. This year, I planted a row outside right away & they're growing nicely. We'll see how they do as it gets hotter. Mom already claimed a few of the seedlings when I thin them out.

Inside, we started eggplant, purple basil, jalapenos, bell peppers, & tomatillos. The bell peppers never sprouted, but the rest are doing well. Our biggest problem now is trying to keep them away from Tink. She loves the dirt & playing among our plants, so right now we have them in a makeshift greenhouse by the side door. The warmth & moisture from being enclosed is making them grow like crazy, but soon they're going to outgrow the box. I don't know what we'll do then!

Have you planted anything yet? How is it doing?

Tasty Tidbits

Fall sky in the morning. So peaceful!

Tink had her first vet appointment this week. She came out unscathed & just as energetic as before. The only sign of a vet visit was a small patch of shaved fur on her leg.

Wednesday's garden harvest: lettuce, a bit of kale, tomatoes, bell peppers, & Swiss chard.

We're clearing some of the end of summer plants out of the garden this weekend. Things are slowly winding down. I moved our basil plants into the sunroom & they're looking good. We're hoping to turn that into a greenhouse of sorts so that we can have fresh lettue & herbs during the winter.

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• French Vanilla yogurt with Cherry Granola
• Whole Wheat Sourdough Pancakes
• Mama Pea's Apple Cider Donuts - I first made these last fall & have been waiting for apple cider to come to our market to make them again. They're dense & chewy, just like cake donuts should be, but also much healthier! Plus, they taste like fall.
• Overnight oats
• Bananas

Lunches

• Leftovers
• Vibrant Lemon & Avocado Kale Salad
• Apples
• Lunch date at Isaac's - Sonoma Salad with a Grilled Black Bean Burger

Dinners

Sunday:
Mommom's birthday dinner

• Rigatoni with Tomato Sauce
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Onions
• Green Salad
• Fresh homemade applesauce

Monday:

• Fall Veggie Chili
• Adrianna's Baked Polenta Fries - These are ah-maz-ing. So crispy & also chewy. They were perfect for dipping in chili! I made the polenta on Sunday, then cut it & baked it while the chili was cooking. Easy!

Tuesday:

• Spaghetti Squash Casserole (I made this one up based on what was handy. In the mix: roasted cauliflower, diced tomatoes, bean sprouts, bell pepper, jalapenos, onions, cherry tomatoes)
• Green Salad with Rossetti's Italian Vinaigrette

Wednesday:

• Pesto Eggplant Spaghetti Squash Casserole (Tuesday's leftovers, repurposed by adding roasted eggplant & tossing with homemade Basil Almond Pesto) - Even though we were eating leftovers, this was completely different! It's amazing what a few added ingredients can do.

Thursday:
Traditional choir night dinner at Mom & Pops' house. 

• Pumpkin Soup & Green Soup
• Apple Cinnamon Muffins
• Green Salad

Friday:

• Roasted Zucchini Quesadillas with Guacamole
• Broccoli

Treats

• Chocolate Coconut Cake - Mommom's birthday cake
• Trader Joe's Sipping Chocolate

What's Growing Now: Early September

Our garden is still green & growing! We're getting end of summer tomatoes, eggplant, brussels sprouts, bell peppers, & jalapenos.

In the back bed, where the Bup put our last load of composted soil, we have a few head of lettuce growing. I was so excited to see them pop up, because I've been unsuccessful getting my seeds to start. It's been hot & dry the other times, so I'm hoping the last batch I planted will take.

The cherry tomatoes are still crazy. I'm getting tired of picking them!

Our purple bell peppers are still small, but they're ripe & ready to pick. I'm trying to leave some on the vine to see if they're change to red. You can see one in the top right that's trying to!

Baby squash! This plant is taking over, growing over the fence & out into the yard. I love squash, so I'm encouraging it.

Another part of the same squash vine has a spaghetti squash growing. I can't wait to eat it!

This bed has taken off in the last 2 weeks. There's beets, turnips, carrots, broccoli, & a random vine that might be cucumber.

The Thai basil we planted has taken off. It's so pretty with the purple flowers growing right by it.

 

Some bugs are eating the leaves of our eggplants, but they're still thriving. This has been the best year yet for us growing eggplants. We've even had enough to give a few away!

Kale & swiss chard, in all their glory. They just don't stop!

Amidst our sweet potato vines, we have another unknown vining plant. I think this might be a melon of some kind, but we won't know for sure until we cut it open.

I'm excited for winter, when the gardening slows down a little & we have some snow. In the meantime, though, we're enjoying the final harvests. It's great to have fresh produce even with the cooler weather that's here. Happy fall!

August Garden Update

It's that time of year - our counters are covered in baskets of tomatoes. We've been making sauce, soup, & everything else we can with the fresh tomatoes.

The tomato plants are out of control! We had such a good plan & then a few rainy days came alone & they grew like crazy. Sometimes I just have to dive in headfirst between the rows & look around for any red ones to pick.

This is the first year that we've really had success with eggplants. They're growing well & we've already picked 3.

The swiss chard is healthy & thriving, as is the kale. I pureed a bunch of each & froze it in ice cube trays to have for green smoothies in the winter.

This is a mixture of sweet potato vines & a random melon plant.

I didn't plant the random melon plant, but I'm very excited to see what this little guy is!

We have 3 brussels sprout plants. They have tiny brussels on them now. I can't wait to pick them! Also, isn't it amazing how they grow? The little heads form just at the stem/branch connection. So cool!

I planted 5 zucchini & 5 random squash seeds in this area. Two came up. I think both are zucchini, but the way that one is vining out makes me wonder...  I hope one is butternut squash!

The jalapeno pepper plants are doing well. They've slowed down in production, thankfully, because we were overwhelmed. I froze a few baggie-fuls for winter eating & we gave away plenty.

About 2 weeks ago, we harvested our potatoes. It's so fun because with each dig into the ground, you're anxiously awaiting a potato to pop up. The soil here still needs some work, as it has a lot of clay, so the potatoes didn't grow to be very large, but we still got a lot of them!

After we harvested the potatoes, I planted broccoli, beets, turnips, & carrots. They're popping up quickly!

The cucumbers that were on the tee-pees have died off. They weren't getting enough water in July when we had so little rain. The tomatoes are doing well here, though, and there are a few potato plants to harvest later, once things die back.

After the first year, we haven't planted any cherry tomatoes. They come back on their own from the seeds that dropped the year before. I'm learning to control them better, so they aren't so overwhelming! I've also been freezing these to roast for sauces in the winter.

We transplanted strawberries back here & they really took off. The bell pepper plants are growing well, although I've only picked 1 so far.

I love the purple pepers! They're still small, so I'm letting them grow for awhile.

See the baby zucchini? I hope we get tons of them! So far, I've only picked 2. People complain about zucchini, but I could eat it daily!

And finally, our kiwi archway. It's growing like crazy. We thought we might get a few kiwis this year, but it's hard to tell. There are a few baby ones on there that seem to be getting eaten by birds. One bird built its nest in there, so sometimes when we walk by it goes flying out & startles us.

I'm super excited that we're heading into fall. I'm loving the cool mornings & having our A/C off. We roasted a squash over the weekend. I can't wait for all things pumpkin!

What are you most excited about for fall?